Chapter 114 Saving the Princess
The fifth princess's nanny and maidservants were frightened out of their wits.
She clung to the railings and stamped her feet anxiously, "Princess! Princess! Save His Highness! Quick!"
The sound of falling into the water and the sharp cries for help that followed were like thunderclaps out of the blue, instantly shattering the leisurely atmosphere by the lake.
The men and women on the shore and in the corridor were all panicked for a moment. Exclamations and chaotic footsteps suddenly filled the air, and the scene fell into a brief chaos.
Xie Jinglan looked at the fifth princess struggling in the lake with a cold gaze, and his fingertips tightened slightly.
In a flash, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
The princess fell into the water in the mansion, and he had to save her regardless of whether it was intentional or not, but how?
This is the inner courtyard lake corridor for enjoying the scenery. In order to avoid suspicion, no guards were arranged to serve nearby. Most of the people around were maids serving tea and water, and they were not capable of saving people.
If he personally went into the water to save the person and had physical contact with her in public, the Queen would definitely take the opportunity to put pressure on him, and there would be no room for maneuver in granting the marriage!
At that time he will be forced to serve under the prince!
Xie Jinglan's eyes were as quick as lightning as he looked around quickly, and instantly locked onto a young man who was gazing at the center of the lake with a worried look on his face - Xu Song, the son of the Chief Censor.
Xu Song was dressed neatly in a sky-blue brocade robe. When he saw someone fall into the water, he pursed his thin lips and subconsciously took half a step forward.
A bold and even risky idea instantly formed in Xie Jinglan's mind!
He walked quickly forward, seemingly ready to dive into the water to rescue the person himself, but when he was near the shore, he stopped steadily beside Xu Song and asked, "Master Xu, can you swim?"
Xu Song was stunned at first, and without bothering to be polite, he replied directly, "Yes."
"Thank you!" Xie Jinglan said no more, and with a clever move of his hand, he pushed Xu Song, who was still in a daze, into the lake!
The Xu family is a family of censors that has been passed down for three generations. His grandfather was the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and his father is currently the Chief Censor, who is responsible for supervising all officials and impeaching illegal activities. He is the core representative of the clean stream in the court.
However, he was also regarded as a "thorn in the side" by the Eastern Palace because he repeatedly impeached the corruption of the prince's confidants and the interference of the queen's relatives in government.
Xu Song's father had just been impeached by the Crown Prince for his cousin's withholding of disaster relief funds. The Crown Prince accused him of making groundless accusations and slandering royal relatives, and he feared that he might be framed and have his property confiscated by the Eastern Palace at any time.
This loyal descendant, whom the prince wanted to get rid of as soon as possible, became the princess's legitimate savior. Even if the queen and the prince hated the Xu family to the core, they would never touch the Xu family again in the short term!
And I can also use this opportunity to avoid this peach blossom trap.
As soon as Xu Song fell into the water, the biting cold made him shiver instantly. He didn't bother to think about how he got into the water. He just felt that saving people was the most important thing at the moment.
Fortunately, he was an excellent swimmer and he immediately calmed himself down, his eyes fixed sharply on the fifth princess who was struggling and sinking not far away.
Xu Song paddled closer quickly, trying to hold the princess's armpits from behind with just his arms, lifting her head out of the water and avoiding any unnecessary physical contact.
He calmly soothed her, "Don't panic, Your Highness. I will take you ashore!"
The fifth princess, who had been tortured by the cold and suffocation to the point of collapse, suddenly felt the touch of her body, and the instinct to survive instantly overwhelmed everything!
Instead of cooperating, she struggled and turned around in the water as if she was grabbing the last piece of driftwood!
The heavy brocade palace dress became extremely heavy after being soaked in water. As she kicked and kicked around, the laces of her outer shirt were torn open, and the gorgeous palace dress slipped off layer by layer.
Xu Song secretly cried out in disbelief.
But this scene came so suddenly that even Xie Jinglan was stunned for a moment.
He hadn't expected such an incident, so he turned around and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, turn your backs!"
His tone was filled with unquestionable majesty. The male guests turned around one after another, and the maids and servants also lowered their heads hurriedly. No one dared to look at the lake again.
Xu Song was also shocked. He had never expected that the princess would suddenly turn around and face him.
The next moment, a cold and soft body pressed against him!
The Fifth Princess's arms were like frightened vines, tightly wrapping around his neck regardless of anything, trying to get herself out of the terrible lake as much as possible.
She was only wearing a soaked plain undershirt. The silk material was soaked in water and clung tightly to her skin, clearly outlining the curves of the girl's youthful but already exquisite body.
Xu Song's arms were tightly wrapped around her waist and back, trying to stop her from sinking.
This sudden and close contact, which far exceeded the rules of etiquette, made Xu Song's head "boom". He felt as if struck by lightning, and even his paddling movements stopped for a moment.
A surge of hot blood suddenly rushed to his head, and his ears turned red instantly. Fortunately, he was immersed in the cold lake water so that he did not lose his composure.
He almost subconsciously wanted to let go of her hand, but immediately realized that if he did, the princess would fall into the trap again.
He had no choice but to hold her up harder and quickly drag the struggling princess back to the shore.
Xu Song struggled to lift the princess ashore in the water, and a nanny and maid had already stepped forward to take over.
As soon as he got ashore, he immediately took off his wet and heavy outer robe, and without even looking at it, he accurately put it on the princess's shivering and disheveled body.
Then he took a step back, lowered his head and closed his eyes, not wanting to look at anything inappropriate.
"Your Highness is frightened. I will have the maids escort Your Highness back to your room to change clothes."
The fifth princess trembled, and amidst blurred vision and noisy cries, she looked eagerly at the person who first reached out to her and dragged her back to the world from the cold and suffocating state.
What came into view was a handsome face also dripping with water, but it was not the stern figure she subconsciously expected.
Is it Xu Song? !
That... that son of the chancellor who I had met a few times at palace banquets and who always sat in silence in the corner?
The scene that the fifth princess had been looking forward to was completely shattered in an instant. She looked at the people around her and just wanted to escape from this embarrassing situation as soon as possible.
But his body, supported by the servants, was stiff and he couldn't even take half a step.
At this moment, wrapped in the man's robe, she felt ashamed, angry and embarrassed.
Hearing Xu Song's words, the Fifth Princess suddenly raised her head, no longer caring about her manners, and cried out in a stern voice: "You, what are you standing there for! They... can they hold me up?! Hurry up..."
The words were not fully said, but the meaning was clear.
Xu Song had no choice but to take responsibility and personally sent the princess to the warm room.
The Fifth Princess is not feeling well, so the carriage cannot stay any longer.
To express her apology, Xie Wan personally boarded the carriage and, as a member of the marquis's household, accompanied the princess all the way to the palace gate.
Before getting on the carriage, the Fifth Princess wrapped herself in the cloak that the palace maid had just given her, but she did not forget to turn around suddenly. Her eyes were accurately fixed on Xu Song, who was standing respectfully with his head bowed in the crowd, and she glared at him fiercely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
